MRS BROWN'S BOYS - SERIES ONE
A new BBC One comedy starring Brendan O'Carroll as loud-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown. Her favourite pastime is meddling in the lives of her six children. Whether she’s tackling love, life, death or dealing with the in-laws - Mrs Brown is one mammy that you don’t mess with. Prepare for a riot of bad behaviour - It’s a little bit rude, a little bit crude and hysterical fun for everyone.
KILLER ELITE
A match-up made in tough-guy heaven -- Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro star in KILLER ELITE. Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world's most elite operatives – Danny, an ex-special ops agent and Hunter, his longtime mentor – against the cunning leader of a secret military society. Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse — where the predators become the prey.
What utter tish and piffle! The ‘true story’ has since been denounced by pretty much everyone related to the book who is still alive, and even author Sir Ranulph Fiennes [yes - the ex-SAS explorer] has all but admitted his book, “The Feather Men” on which this farce is based, is a work of fiction. Not an impressive starting point for an action thriller with such huge claims at the outset.
And then the film itself... click on the movie poster and watch all 2 minutes and 5 seconds of the trailer, and then go do something more interesting instead. The film is about as thrilling as Sponge Bob Square Pants, but doesn’t have quite the depth. It trundles from one convoluted and pointless scenario to the next, with lots of bad 80s dress sense, not so fast cars and mediocre explosions.
Jason Statham - could someone please let me know what the big deal is? He is not good looking, he has no sex appeal, he cannot act, has no charisma or screen presence, and therefore what precisely is the point of his existence exactly? I just hope that the legendary Robert de Niro and hugely talented thespian Clive Owen both got paid a vast amount of money for appearing in this complete waste of anyone’s time, as even actors of that calibre could not help.
TROLL HUNTER
SHOT in a vérité style, TROLL HUNTER is the story of a group of Norwegian film students that set out to capture real-life trolls on camera after learning their existence has been covered up for years by a government conspiracy. A thrilling and wildly entertaining film, Trollhunter delivers truly fantastic images of giant trolls wreaking havoc on the countryside, with darkly funny adherence to the original Norwegian folklore.
4 SHERLOCK
A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London.
John Watson: doctor, soldier, war hero, lost soul. Fresh from fighting the war in Afghanistan, a chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes: loner, detective, genius. A woman in pink lies murdered in an abandoned house. The fifth victim of a seemingly motiveless killer. Inspector Lestrade is the best Scotland Yard has got. But he knows he’s nothing compared to a young man called Sherlock. Sherlock can tell a software designer by his tie, an airline pilot by his thumb. He has a unique analytical brain unlike anyone else in the world, who earns his living and staves off boredom by solving crimes. The weirder and more baffling the better…
The world’s favourite detective has come out of the fog. With sparkling scripts and unforgettable performances from the two leads, this is Sherlock for a new generation.
Simply brilliantly clever.
THE KING'S SPEECH
AFTER the death of his father King George V and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII, Bertie who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England.
With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue. After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill, the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle.
Based on the true story of King George VI, The King's Speech follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice.
IF there is nothing else you see this month [or next..or the one after], make sure you see The King's Speech. It's enchanting, engaging, emotional, sublimely acted, humorous, expertly visualised and beautifully filmed. It will move you in every fashion; you will laugh, you may shed a tear, you'll feel contempt for those who deserve it, and admiration for others...you will feel the essence of what Tom Hooper wanted you to experience.
Colin Firth has produced his best work yet, Helena Bonham Carter has personified the Queen Mother, Geoffrey Rush could not have been improved upon, and the supporting cast...simply perfection. There is not a single element of this multi award-winning masterpiece that I could possible fault.
THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE
WHAT’S on the mind of the average sixth-form boy? College, jobs, that whole bright and exciting future thing? Or the humpability of anything female in sight? For Will, Simon, Jay and Neil, it’s humpability all the way.
DUE DATE
PETER Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is an expectant first-time father whose wife ís due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.
THE film starts off quite slowly; one has to hunt for the laughs, and it is terribly difficult to feel anything but contempt and irritation for Ethan. As it proceeds, the film becomes a little more palatable, with the odd wry smile appearing involuntarily. But unfortunately, it's not the funniest film around; you do eventually warm to the characters, and get that warm fuzzy feeling by the end, but so much is predictable. I wouldn't go rushing off to see it in any mad hurry...DVD will suffice in a few months.
THE GUARD
THE GUARD is a comedic, fish out of water tale of murder, blackmail, drug trafficking and rural police corruption, and the two cops who must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang, an unorthodox Irish policeman and a straitlaced FBI agent.
THIS is an irresistible brilliant comedy thriller bordering on a black comedy. To tell you anything about it would just spoil the entire premise, but I find it very hard to fathom how this is McDonagh’s first feature length movie which he both wrote and directed. Brendan Gleeson is divine [but then again, when isn’t he?], and Don Cheadle is so out of place and perfect. There is not an element of the film that doesn’t work, and it will leave you with a wry smile.
Watch it...now!
SHERLOCK HOLMES
IN a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes [Robert Downey Jr.] and his stalwart partner Watson [Jude Law] on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
The action-adventure mystery Sherlock Holmes is helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie. Robert Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life, and Jude Law stars as Holmes’ trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly plays Watson’s love interest, Mary.
If the trailer is anything to go by, the film should have been a cinematic pleasure; the banter between Downey Jr. and Law is perfectly timed and as witty as you can get…Guy Ritchie could have found his niche for the first time since Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels with this highly entertaining caper.
Potentially a perfect end to an interesting year at the movies…but dear oh dear we were not terribly impressed. Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic as Holmes, and Jude Law was charming as Watson, but it failed miserably at the script level. It begins well, draws you in, creates the intrigue...and then collapses in a dishevelled heap in the middle, all very confused...thankfully it comes together wonderfully at the end in true Holmes style.
In fact, all the actors were commendable, the vistas were stunning, the effects used to create late 19th century London resulting in a breath-taking film, and for that reason it really should be seen on the big screen.
PAUL
SIMON Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) reunite for the comedy adventure Paul as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America’s UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever.
For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-travelling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town—a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy and Clive Collings.
Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
SHAWN of the Dead was hilarious...Hot Fuzz side-splittingly brilliant...Run Fat Boy Run...not so good. Was hoping this is as stupidly funny as the first two!
Well, I laughed out loud on a few occasions, giggled repeatedly at the juvenile humour, and generally enjoyed it quite a lot. It isn't as ridiculously funny as Hot Fuzz, but that had me in tears with laughter which doesn't happen very often at all. However, it is silly, childish, slapstick humour, which may lose it's way a tad, and meanders a little aimlessly intermittently, but overall is a jolly good British yarn, akin to ET on magic mushrooms with tourettes. Go...get it...have a giggle!
